The five stages
Most UK lives move through these in order.
Some people skip a stage. Some go back a stage when life knocks them down. That's normal. The point is to know which stage you're in and take the few actions that actually matter at that stage.
You're worried about right now — rent, bills, food, an urgent letter. The single goal at this stage is to stop the bleeding. Get every pound of support you're entitled to, decode anything scary, and make sure no enforcement action escalates while you're catching your breath.
You leave stage 1 when
You know what you're entitled to, urgent letters are answered, and you have a calm next-week plan.
Stable, but money you owe is still pulling you backwards. The goal at this stage is to stop the spiral and put a finite end-date on every debt. Priority debts (rent, council tax, energy, court fines) get sorted first because they have enforcement powers. Everything else follows.
You leave stage 2 when
Every debt has a plan and an end-date. Priority debts are no longer escalating. Income covers essentials with a small margin.
Out of crisis. The goal now is a calm cash buffer — typically one to three months of essentials in a separate account — so the next bad month doesn't pull you back to stage 1. Tax codes, Marriage Allowance, ISAs, and free training all start to pay off here.
You leave stage 3 when
You have 1-3 months of essentials saved, no high-interest revolving debt, and a clear sense of what you spend each month.
With a stable income and a buffer, the next leap is owning an asset that grows — usually a home, sometimes a business. Both unlock government schemes most people never use. Both require calm preparation, not a heroic push. This is the stage where the UK government quietly hands out the most money.
You leave stage 4 when
You own an appreciating asset (home or business equity) and you understand the government schemes that supported you getting there.
The work shifts from getting and building to keeping and passing on. Pension, tax planning, family protection, LPAs, wills, generational wealth. This is where most UK households quietly leak money to inheritance tax, missed reliefs, and uncovered risk — and where Sorted will eventually help you the most.
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Retirement roadmap
State Pension, private pensions, Pension Credit, tax bands in retirement.
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LPAs and Tell Us Once
1-in-3 UK over-65s have no LPA. Property & Financial + Health & Welfare.
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Family protection
Wills, guardianship, life cover, savings for children, education planning.
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Discover For Me
Whole-life scan — money, risks, opportunities, next action.
You leave stage 5 when
You're no longer optimising for yourself — you're optimising for the next generation and the version of you that's no longer here.